When looking to buy the perfect safety handrail for your property or business, it can be difficult to know exactly what you’re looking for.

There are many types of handrails, each serving their own purpose, which is why we’ve produced this helpful guide to help you understand the different types of safety handrails and which one you need.

The Benefits of Safety Handrails

The various types of handrails all look and operate differently, but they all share one common similarity – safety.

While they have many benefits, the primary function of installing handrails is to improve the overall safety of the environment they are fitted in. Whether it’s steps to your home or to protect employees who work high up, handrails are essential in so many scenarios.

Some of the benefits to providing safety handrails include:

Stability – Handrails provide stability to wherever they are fitted. Providing access to the elderly or a helping hand for workers to haul heavy equipment, it ensures stability to every environment.
Barrier protection – Handrails can be used as a safety barrier to help navigation but also prevent falls on stairs or roof edges by blocking off any common footfall risks.
Injury prevention – In the event of accidents such as slipping on stairs or a footway, safety barriers can be there to grab to avoid any injury from a fall. Providing people with a secure handrail can reduce the risk of serious injury from slips or falls.

Types of Safety Handrails

When choosing the type of safety handrail, you need to ensure that it’s fit for the purpose you need it for. Below we have summarised each safety handrail type we manufacture and fit, to give you a better understanding of what type of handrail you need.

Key Clamp Handrails – Key Clamp Handrails are constructed with the use of a hexagon key, allowing them to be very simple to construct by yourself or our expert engineers.
DDA Handrails – DDA handrails are an incredibly sturdy handrail, designed to support heavy weights with the ability to withstand bumps and knocks.
Free Standing Roof Edge Protection – When looking to ensure rooftop protection in the form of handrails, our Free-Standing Roof Edge Protection barriers are the perfect choice.
Tubular Handrail Systems – If you’re looking for a versatile handrail, our Tubular Handrails are the best choice for being suitable to a variety of scenarios.

What height should handrails be?

The height of a safety handrails depends on what they’ll be used for and where they will be fitted. A general rule is they must be high enough to prevent falls and strong enough to withstand prolonged tension.

It’s important that before choosing your railing, you understand the legal requirements around the location in which your handrail will be installed. Here are some height recommendations for common handrail locations:

Outdoor railing heights: For outdoor railings on roofs or construction areas, we recommend a height of 1.1 metres from the floor upwards. European welfare regulations state that the railings must be at least 950mm high with gaps below 470mm.
Indoor railing heights: Indoor railings must be at least 0.9 metres from any platform they are fitted to, with a design that ensures it doesn’t encourage climbing.

Where are handrails required?

Any location that has made you consider a handrail installation, more often than not will need one. Here’s our list of areas where a handrail should be installed:

Platforms
Walkways
All stairways
Delivery points
Disabled access
Ramps
Accessible rooftops

Why Choose CT Safety Barriers For Safety Handrails?

We are ISO Certified meaning we’re proven to provide all our customers with the very highest standard of quality in terms of product, service, efficiency, and safety. Our team of specialised engineers can install any barriers, bollards or handrails you require, no job is too big or too small.

On top of that, all of our safety handrails are made in Britain and produced in our purpose-built facility in the north of England. So, it’s safe to say we know a thing or two about building protection barriers.

With us, you’re in safe hands to ensure your building is fully protected and at a competitive price,

Get in touch today with CT Safety Barriers, the UK’s leading supplier and manufacturer of Armco products. Call us today on (01977) 666 818 for a fast free quote or fill out our contact form and we’ll get back to you as quick as we can.